Understanding the Holocaust

In approaching this most difficult of issues, we confront the very foundations of our lives.

A central pillar of Jewish belief is that nothing happens in a vacuum. History has meaning, oppression has meaning, suffering has meaning. We are a people whose essence is meaning. It’s the lifeblood of who we are and what we stand for as a nation.

If this is true – and the Jewish people have fought to preserve this truth for 3,500 years – then the Holocaust must have meaning as well. Beneath the suffering and pain of the Holocaust lie the seeds of understanding our unique mission as Jews even today.

This is not to suggest that any one explanation will ever fully help us to come to terms with the persecution and murder of millions of innocent people.

Still, it does mean that we must try to contend with the Holocaust on a number of levels. For with every victim an entire world was lost; (1) with every survivor, a new lesson must be learned. In this light, the meaning of the Holocaust is as varied as the human heart itself.

But we must also wrestle with the Holocaust from a larger perspective, a perspective that includes the history of the Jewish people. For the Holocaust is the story of the Jewish nation under siege. It was a war to destroy the Jewish people and the message we have been trying to bring to mankind from time immemorial.

The Chosen People

"You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (2) These are the words that describe the Jewish people’s unique covenant with God. We have been chosen to be a light unto the nations,(3) an eternal people bearing a message of God’s morality: "Love your neighbor as yourself" (4)… "Justice, justice shall you pursue(5)…" "Do not afflict the widow and the orphan(6)…" "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore(7)…"

Being chosen means you are different. Your laws are different, your ways are different, your history is different. Being chosen means holding fast to that message through all the peaks and valleys of history, for all the generations. It means living for the truth of that message and dying for the truth of that message. It means holding ourselves to a higher standard – in the way we think, the way we speak, the way we act, the way we dress, the way we eat.

It means honoring our Creator in the way we conduct ourselves in public as well as in the privacy of our home. In the way we raise our children and take care of our old. In the laws we live by and the values we are trying to impart to the people – and nations – around us.

A World Against Us

Anti-Semitism was born with the birth of the Jewish people. After all, it can be exceedingly irritating to be faced with the voice of human conscience when you yourself have other plans and desires. It is one of the not-so-subtle ironies of the Hebrew language that the word Sinai is closely linked to the word for "hatred" – "sina".

But the essence of anti-Semitism runs much deeper than simply the Jews and their morality standing in the way of the conqueror’s ambition or of mankind’s propensity for lust. Anti-Semitism is part of our destiny as Jews. It is part and parcel of our covenant with God. It is the one mechanism in the collective human psyche that never lets us forget we are Jews, never lets us forget we different, never lets us forget we have a message to bring to mankind.

One of the high points of the Passover seder joyfully testifies to this unique phenomenon of history. With a glass of wine raised high, we declare that in every generation the nations of the world will rise up against us, to try to wipe us out and destroy the message we bear – but to no avail. The Jewish people is eternal, and our message is eternal.(8)

When the Jewish people lives up to its potential as a light unto the nations, the moral fabric of the entire world is improved.(9) The nations of the world will see the beauty of Jewish values and will praise us and want to emulate our ways. (10)

At such times, anti-Semitism may still rear its ugly head, but no power in the world will be able to harm us. And the Almighty Himself will turn over heaven and earth to attest to the fact of this awesome truth.

But if that light is lacking, then the moral fabric of the world quickly sinks into decay. And then it is only a matter of time before the Jews are seen as little more than an irritating reminder of an old-fashioned, restrictive morality, an enemy of the "new world order" that wants nothing to do with the Chosen People and their God.

Such times are times of national tragedy indeed. In place of the miraculous protection that once graced our people, we are left vulnerable to the cruelest whims of humanity. Hunted down, persecuted, put to death in the millions simply because we are Jews.

Such times are times of great suffering, but not of suffering in vain. The nature of our covenant means that even when we are subjected to the unimaginable cruelty of a Holocaust, the message remains the same: There must be a better way. Mankind must be taught to rise above his baser instincts. In that way, the suffering itself becomes the source of the Jewish message to the world.

The Lessons of the Holocaust

Where was God during the Holocaust? As a people, we declare that God was right there – pleading with us to pay attention, never letting us forget how much work remains to be done in this world.

After the Holocaust, is there a Jew on earth who would choose to be born a Nazi instead of a Jew? After the Holocaust, is there a Jew on earth who does not see the need for a nation of teachers? Who else will help mankind rise above its potential for such cruelty if not the Jews?

More than anything else, the Holocaust was a clarion call to the Jewish people: Remember your covenant, be a light unto the nations. Show the world what it means to be given the gift of life, what it means to be created in the image of God, what it means to live according to the values of justice and mercy, what it means to be a nation dedicated to those goals.

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About the Author

Rabbi Yitzchak Berkovits is a leading expert on Mitzvot Bein Adam L’Chavero, the Torah’s wisdom regarding interpersonal relationships. He is dean of the Jerusalem Kollel and also the Center for Jewish Values.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 24

(21)
Kathleen Dahnke Nottestad,
April 26, 2017 8:10 AM

Have we meet before? ? Hmmm?!!

Thought if there be a lesson from the HOLOCAST- I sometimes ponder the why's of such an act of hatred and that people who think themselves worthy of heaven carried out these dispictable acts of cruelty - wonder if they can go on as though nothing distasteful transpired? Literally one would surely ? Taking ANOTHERS life because of ones religion? Race? Beliefs? ️Yes God did create us all and has given each and everyone of us gifts to use for GOOD! How does one rectify having taken ANOTHERS life? HOW? here's a thought a flip it kinda look at the happenings - well say your beloved Mother was taken through an act of hatred - maybe your mother's heart and brain two main parts of what makes her wonderful and whom she is. Well, take these two special internal organs that are indeed what creates her being and when one passes - say these two or too organs pass on to another - could that be part of why civilization often moves forward? Wisdom carried through having truly exsisted before a heart filled with love having loved before - onward - guess exactly whom that heart and brain ends up in - wouldn't IF we looked at others knowing that just maybe Someone we cared for exsisted in a complete stranger finding good in all others would be easier just in case you truly did indeed get to spend time with a loved one. So the Holocaust took many awesome lives BUT recycled, reborn to continue expanding our world to be a better place for ALL! Without hatred of insignificant acts. The other key is each new individual is given new gifts and thus will posess their very own NEW soul - to improve our world! if this was taught then wouldn't hatred indeed at some point be non exsistant?! One can hope right! So haven't you ever meet someone and felt a daja Vue feeling - like hmmm how is it I feel I've always known this person or just one aspect of a person truth may be YOU DID at another time and place. Things to ponder love one another it may indeed be an old love in disquise?!

(20)
Anonymous,
April 26, 2017 4:36 AM

Great Article

It seems to me one has to question where the Jews were morally speaking during the Holocaust. When the Jewish people live up to its potential as a light unto the nations the moral fabric of the entire world improved. If that light is lacking, then the moral fabric of the world quickly sinks into decay. If you study the various Jewish movements in Germany prior to the Holocaust I had to ask myself, "why so many different Jewish ways of thinking came out of Germany?" It seemed many Jews there were more cosmopolitan, secular, or some other form of Jew than the ones in the actual Torah. Too, God is in control always, so obviously God had some type of plan to allow such a Holocaust. Then God always wants our best and that end result best for the Jewish people thus has to in the end be so good and wonderful it makes all the suffering of the Holocaust worth it. Also, if God wanted to move millions of people without an outright miracle to do so, wake them up morally, and try to get them to return to Him, what might he allow to happen? What about all the good that came out of WWII and the good that is still to come because of it? What about those who were born out of the movements of people from WWII? What might God's ultimate plan for mankind be that the Holocaust was allowed to happen?

(19)
Kasaundra,
November 8, 2012 12:19 AM

I'm writing a paper on what kind of messages are learned from the holocaust today & this article helped a lot.

I would really like to know from someone elses point of view how has the holocaust changed people today and how can we apply this message.

Rob,
March 15, 2013 5:43 AM

G-D is Great

The holocaust changed the world forever. The world became more aware of the importance of equality and that All men are created equally.

(18)
susannah garbutt,
March 13, 2011 1:23 PM

trying to understand

As one born after the holocaust, I am always trying to find the meaning and understanding. One of the things about it that strike a person born and growing up in post war Australia, is that it is a wake up call to all of us that evil appears and prospers given half a chance. We all must be vigilant for ever. We must never forget.

Anonymous,
December 27, 2011 7:23 PM

Hard to Understand

I do not understand. Hashem won;t destroy us but will let the Holocaust happen. Does this mean that the Jewish People will never FULLY be wiped out but a major chunk could be decimated? Hard to understand, because 6 million were lost...

(17)
Anonymous,
February 28, 2011 8:43 PM

Do you know?

Thanks for this enlightening article""
You did not mention that Holocaust was forecast in the Book of Devarim, Torah, and that the return to Israel also gave us what is considered by some as the best National Defense Systeme in thisworld..

(16)
SeekingClosure,
July 15, 2010 6:11 AM

meaning??

So, since the Jewish people weren't bringing enough light into the world, the world lost its way, and thus the holocaust was perpetrated against millions--including innocent, disenfranchised individuals? Children? The elderly? How is it just that they suffer genocide for failing to spread justice and mercy? I want to understand. It just seems like blaming the victim.
I do draw some comfort from the conclusion: "when the Jewish people lives up to its potential as a light unto the nations, the moral fabric of the entire world is improved.(9)" I believe this is true of all persecuted people who shine light onto injustice and show us a better way. But, if a light grows dim, why must it suffer a storm, sputtering and flickering until it finally burns its brightest?
I guess I am trying to balance the scales, because I want to believe in a just Creator. Perhaps there is meaning without justice...

(15)
Mike York,
November 6, 2004 12:00 AM

trying to understand

To this day I'm trying to understand how people can subject fellow humans to the sort of inhmane acts and treatment the victims of the holocost suffered and what other people in other countries suffer today. I literately know nothing of what makes a person Jewish. People have said there is a look about the person...but I fail to recognize "the look" nor do I care to. This website has been very informative and serves as a reminder to how barbaric, inhumane, and evil some people are in this world.

(14)
Adam,
September 16, 2004 12:00 AM

What a help for college students!!!!!!

This was a really big help for a college research paper. This site is the best and most thorough or the hundreds I've gone to. It is complete with headlines, Issues, and the most important, the bibliography. Thanks!!!!

(13)
Anonymous,
March 9, 2003 12:00 AM

Excellent

I have been studying the holocaust and found that this website is the best i've been to. Thankyou

(12)
007_JamesBond,
December 20, 2002 12:00 AM

it is good to know more

Thank you for telling more, than just some of the facts and by going into some depth it gave me a much better understanding of what was happening

(11)
Anonymous,
December 13, 2002 12:00 AM

Excellent article.

(10)
Arden Brian Beyer,
December 10, 2002 12:00 AM

Excellent articles!!

Articles helped me to see that the Holocaust was not a totally vacuous experience, but, rather, one from which we, as Jews, can learn about the meaning and purpose and value and sacredness of human life and so in time teach these lessons as G-d Hashem's chosen people to other peoples, societies, and nations.

(9)
shelli,
December 9, 2002 12:00 AM

That was very deep & beautiful!

I love the depth & the beauty of the Jewish heart that is in tune with their Creator. It is a heart that pursues understanding amidst grave trials. The heart of Avraham that trusts when all odds are against and life seems impossible. Thank you!

(8)
Nina Feest,
October 28, 2002 12:00 AM

WOW!

i am writing a paper on euthanasia in the Holocaust and i came accross your site! i had to send an email and tell you that although i did not find what i was looking for, this site is breathtaking (if that is even the word)! i have studied the Holocaust for a few years now and i have NEVER seen anything like this! GREAT JOB!

(7)
Menachem Ben Yakov,
June 2, 2002 12:00 AM

Understanding the Holocaust? Nope!

The Rabbi refuses to look at the obvious- that Jews in the Galut will never be safe.
To discuss the lessons of the Pesach Seder without invoking "next year in Jerusalem" is intellectualy dishonest.
We as Jews must first protect ourselves and our children.To "be a light" requires the light remain unextinguished.
Excuses to remain in exile, the lack of courage of some and the materialist tendancies of others, should be looked down upon.
If Jews have not learned that they are unwelcome everywhere except our own land the Master of the Universe will continue to educate us.
Time to come home.

Anonymous,
November 30, 2014 12:37 PM

Come Home in January, Wiped Out in June

I suggest that it is dangerous for Jews to concentrate themselves anywhere in the world, even their own land. Most of the world either hates Jews or is indifferent to them. And we already know that G_d will not save us, unless you define "saving us" as letting two-thirds of us live. We cannot trust anyone or anything.

(6)
Ashley Spengel,
April 29, 2002 12:00 AM

This is a great site, especially if you have lots of projects like me!

(5)
Braha Dora Sabine,
April 10, 2002 12:00 AM

Making health from sickness, national recovery

We are recovering as individuals, together as a nation.

The one who has suffered abuse is the only one in a position sensitive enough to understand the patterns on all levels that the acts of abuse are a result of. The reason for this is because the one who was abused is a potential future abuser, having 'learned' those very patterns. It takes tremendous inner work to stop and change those intimately learned ways of thinking, emotionally reacting and physically responding. The Jewish people are recovering and healing, doing tshuva, returning to wellness, from the devestating effects of the trauma we suffered, as individuals and as a nation, called the holocaust. What very great people we are to be doing this excruciating labor. It is the work of each individual and family to be healthy on all levels that creates the collective merit of our nation. We are choosing life despite the pain, and are choosing to make health where there was sickness. How astounding. May H' continue to bless us.

(4)
Ashley Sutherland,
March 22, 2002 12:00 AM

All my life I have had to study the holocaust and I have never understood the greatness of the lesson from the tragedy to be learned until i researched and found this website.

This site has opened my eyes to a lot of new and interesting things about the holocaust that I never have understood or even knew about in all my past research of the terrible tragedy.

(3)
Anonymous,
March 21, 2002 12:00 AM

a very informative website

I learned a lot about the holocaust on this site. Factual and emotional issues are well documented and easy to read. thank you.

(2)
Tammy Strasser,
March 2, 2002 12:00 AM

Awesome

This site really helped me a lot on a project I was doing for history. Thanks

(1)
Corine skorski,
February 7, 2002 12:00 AM

To the Editor: I am a "child" survivor
who was born in France in 1943. I was
raised by a gentile family until the
age of 10. Ever since I have struggled
to find my true identity and to unders
tand the profound meaning of the Holocau
st . The essay authored by Rabbi Berko
witz is the only one which has enlighte
ned me in a way that I can reconcile
with the spiritual role of the Jewish
people and its loving relationship to
H' . I will have to read it a number of
times to truly absorb what is ,I feel,
the only way for a Jew to view this
awfull page in the history of our People.
Perhaps the Gedoleim"s explanations
over the last fifty some years were
meant to convey the same message. But
reading this document has brought me th
comfort and hope I couldn't find all these years.
Please keep up this wonderfull work.
AM YISROEL NEEDS YOU !

I was born with a neuromuscular disease known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy and have been confined to a wheelchair my entire life. Unfortunately my sister and I were raised without any religious instruction or guidance. My father wasn't Jewish and although my mother is, she openly claims to be an atheist. The "good news" is that both my sister and myself - independent of each other and at different times in our lives - realized that we are Jewish and chose to live a Jewish life.

Because of my disability, I'm not always able to attend services on Shabbat, but I always light candles, pray from a Siddur and read the weekly Torah portion. I would like to know whether, considering my situation, if using a computer is allowed during the Sabbath? I found the complete Bible online and since my computer is voice-activated I don't have to struggle to turn pages or continuously ask for assistance.

Thank you to everyone at Aish.com for making it possible for myself and so many others to learn about being Jewish and grow in the most important part of our lives.

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Thank you so much for your encouraging words and for sharing your inspiring story.

God gives each of us a set of challenges. To those more capable of conquering difficulties, He gave bigger challenges. A challenge from God is a sign that He cares about us and has confidence in our ability to become great.

It sounds like you're doing great!

As for using the computer on Shabbat, that is prohibited. A foundation of Judaism is that we need to respect God's wishes, even if we think that doing otherwise is "for a good reason." Consider this story:

A king calls in his trusted minister and says: "I have an important mission for you to perform. Go to the neighboring kingdom and meet in the palace with their leaders. But remember one thing - under no circumstances must you remove your shirt during this meeting. Now go and do as I say."

The minister sets off on his merry way and soon arrives at the neighboring kingdom. There he heads straight for the palace where he meets with the King. In the midst of their discussion, he sees some of the king's officers pointing and laughing at him.

"Why are you laughing?" asks the visiting minister.

"Because we've never seen someone with such a pronounced hunchback as yourself," they say.

"What are you talking about? I'm not a hunchback!"

"Of course you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"We'll bet you one million dollars that you are!"

"Fine - I'll gladly take your bet."

"Okay, so take off your shirt and prove it."

At which point the minister remembers the parting words of the king... "under no circumstances must you remove your shirt during the meeting." Yet, the minister reasons, a million dollars would certainly bring added wealth to the king's coffers. I know I'm not a hunchback, so I'll surely win the bet. Of course, under these circumstances the king would approve...

The minister removes his shirt and proudly displays his perfect posture. With pride in his achievement, he holds out his hand, into which is placed a check for one million dollars.

The minister can barely contain his excitement. He quickly ends the meeting and runs back to give the wonderful news to his king. "I earned you a million dollars!" exclaims the minister. "It was easy. I only had to remove my shirt to prove that I wasn't a hunchback."

"You did what?!" shouts the king. "But I told you specifically not to remove your shirt. I trusted that you'd follow instructions, and so I bet the other king $10 million dollars that he couldn't get you to remove your shirt!"

The Torah tells us "Do not add or subtract from the mitzvahs." (Deut. 4:2) Jewish law is a precise metaphysical science. Consider a great work of art. Would you consider adding a few notes to a Bach fugue, or some brushstrokes to a Rembrandt portrait?!

Perfection, by definition, cannot be improved upon. Altering Torah law is an unacceptable implication that God is lacking.

The verse in Psalms 19:8 declares: "Torat Hashem Temimah" - the Torah of God is complete. For just as adding one wire to a transistor radio means it no longer can pick up reception, so too we mustn't tinker with Jewish law. The mitzvahs of God are perfect.

May the Almighty give you strength to continue your growth in Judaism.

In 1315, King Louis X of France called back the Jews who had been expelled a few decades earlier by King Louis IX. This marked a theme in Jewish-French life: expulsions and subsequent invitations to return. The French monarchy was trying to establish their land as the "new Jerusalem," and to fulfill this mission attempted several crusades to Israel. In 1615, King Louis XIII ordered that Christians were forbidden to speak with Jews, upon penalty of death. Eventually, in 1683, King Louis XIV expelled the Jews from the colony of Martinique.

Focus on what you do want. Make your goal explicit. “My goal is to increase my moments of joy.” This way, every single moment of joy is a successful moment.

Celebrate each moment of joy. Be grateful every time you experience joy.

Having this goal will place your attention on joy. Instead of feeling bad when you are not joyful, you will experience positive feelings about experiencing more joy.

Each moment of joy in your entire life is experienced one moment at a time. You can’t have more than one moment of joy in any given moment, but you can increase the number of joyful moments. How? By focusing on it.

There is no person on earth so righteous, who does only good and does not sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20).

Reading the suggestions for ridding oneself of character defects, someone might say, "These are all very helpful for someone who has character defects, but I do not see anything about myself that is defective."

In the above-cited verse, Solomon states what we should all know: no one is perfect. People who cannot easily find imperfections within themselves must have a perception so grossly distorted that they may not even be aware of major defects. By analogy, if a person cannot hear anything, it is not that the whole world has become absolutely silent, but that he or she has lost all sense of hearing and may thus not be able to hear even the loudest thunder.

In his monumental work, Duties of the Heart, Rabbeinu Bachaye quotes a wise man who told his disciples, "If you do not find defects within yourself, I am afraid you have the greatest defect of all: vanity." In other words, people who see everything from an "I am great/right" perspective will of course believe that they do no wrong.

When people can see no faults in themselves, it is generally because they feel so inadequate that the awareness of any personal defects would be devastating. Ironically, vanity is a defense against low self-esteem. If we accept ourselves as fallible human beings and also have a sense of self-worth, we can become even better than we are.

Today I shall...

be aware that if I do not find things within myself to correct, it may be because I am threatened by such discoveries.

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